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Bensonhurst DestinationsFrom The Peopling of New York City
Present-Day BensonhurstChanging BordersBensonhurst still remains a home for middle class families with deep roots. There are residents who have lived in Bensonhurst in the same house for more than 25 years, a reflection of the loyalty older generations feel for their beloved town. In the last 15 years, however, the boundaries of Bensonhurst have been compromised, with the encroaching Borough Park area expanding quickly. In the last three decades, the size of Borough Park has increased three-fold, pushing Bensonhurst’s present boundaries from approximately 18th Avenue to 25th Avenue and from Gravesend Bay to 60th Street. This is analogous to the shrinkage of Manhattan’s Little Italy as a result of the expanding Chinatown.[1] Out With the Old, In With the New  There has been a great deal of interest in Bensonhurst’s real estate potential, with people such as Thomas Delmazio and Drew Bizzoco interested in investing in the prosperous area.[2]However, older residents, such as Vito Buzzetta, are unhappy with the “seemingly endless series of hulking condominium apartment complexes has sprouted on the low-rise, residential blocks that define Bensonhurst.” Between 2002 and 2005, the city was approved about 1,200 condo units. Lorraine Lapetina, the presiden of the Gravesend/Bensonhurst Quality of Life Committee, feels that this sudden burst of new, more modern homes is “ruining the quality of life of all Brooklyn.” She claims that it is damaging Brooklyn’s historic image. This opinion is popular among the Bensonhurst community. Many fear that the city’s personality will diminish.[3]     New Kids on The Block:Chinese and Russians Lead The MovementThe Italian prevalence is not as widespread in Bensonhurst as it once was, with the 2000 Census showing the number of Italian residents decreasing to about 59,000, which is only a little more than half what it was twenty years prior. The town has developed into a mixture of Chinese, Russian, Italian, Mexican, and Middle Eastern immigrants. In the last 20 years, Chinese families have been served as the largest source of incoming residents, with an attraction to the newly developed homes, who enjoy the orderliness and the convenient ride to Chinatown on the subway. The old Italian-American residents are selling their homes to the highest bidders, rather than passing them down to the next generation. These high bidders are mainly Chinese moving from Sunset Park and Russians moving from Brighton Beach. Italian emblems are now being replace or modified to adjust to this increase in Chinese population. Chinese novelty stores and beauty parlors now replace the old Italian cafes; churches that were once heavily Italian now offer Chinese masses. This has resulted in the Italian community losing their “comfort zone.” There have been several incidents where Asian students reported racial discrimination in schools, though many Asians feel welcome in the neighborhood.[4] Future of the Old Italian FaceThough Italians are not as heavily present, their cultural presence remains. Each year, Bensonhurst celebrates two major feasts: the Feast of Padre Pio in June and the Feast of Santa Rosalia in late August and early September.[5]Sal Calabrese, however, is skeptic of Bensonhurst's future, saying, The feast of Santa Rosalia is still going on, but how much longer? Mr. Calabrese said. If you asked me 15 years ago, I would have said it was going on forever. Now I don't know, and that makes me sad because I am Italian.[6]
Edith and Carl Marks Jewish Community House of Bensonhurst The Edith and Carl Marks Jewish Community House of Bensonhurst, established in 1927, has been a service over one million Jews in the Bensonhurst area of Brooklyn. It provides many educational and recreational workshops, and aides in social and employment services. The organization formerly focused primarily on Eastern European Jewish immigrants, but as the community changes, so does their focus in helping that changing community. In the 1940s and 1950s, the focus changed and was directed towards the increasing amount of Syrian Jews. In the 1980s, the focus again shifted, and was centered on helping immigrants of the Soviet Union.[7]
Zoning Changes: The Future of Bensonhurst  Zoning ProposalThe Department of City Planning proposed the idea of zoning changes for Bensonhurst, which will include about 120 blocks of the neighborhood in Community Board 11. The area considered for the rezoning is enclosed Bay Parkway and 61st Street on the north, McDonald Avenue on the east, Avenue U on the south, and Stillwell Avenue on the west. The plan involves saving the old Bensonhurst character and personality by preventing any new real estate development in these long-standing, low-density buildings of Bensonhurst, which has been a significant issue with the older residents. There will be, however, wide streets with already existing large building where new real estate development will be supported. This will mainly occur around Avenue P, Quentin Road and Kings Highway, and Bay Parkway and 65th Street. To prevent the development of large facilities in mid-rise zones, there will be height limits to follow along the pattern of mid-density apartment houses.[8] Zoning ApprovalOn February 14, 2005, the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure application for the new rezoning procedure was certified to be publicly reviewed. After a meeting held by Community Board 11, the proposal was approved by the Brooklyn Borough President on April 11, 2005. The plan was adopted on June 23, 2005, with only one change: the City Council removed a one and a half block area, consisting of 65th Street, Avenue O, and West 4th and West 5th streets.[9]
Dreier-Offerman Park Restoration In 2007, city officials approved a $40 million restoration for Dreier-Offerman Park in Bensonhurst. The park consists of 77 acres; its history began in 1933, when the Dreier-Offerman Home for Unwed Mothers provided the land as a gift. Mayor Bloomberg plans to complete this project by 2011, in keeping with New York's policy that all residents of New York are within a ten minute walk from a park or open space. The park is set to include three baseball fields, six soccer fields, kayak launches, nature trails, a playground, and a recreation center.[10]
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